As Bichier’s long right eye lunged toward Yaster’s throat, a sudden sense of danger washed over him. His sixth sense screamed that if he followed through with the strike, he would be finished!
Prioritizing his life above all else, Bichier abruptly shifted his attack from offense to defense, sidestepping sharply to the side.
In that very instant, he distinctly felt a powerful gust of wind brush against his neck, as if something had shot past him at incredible speed.
When Bichier stabilized and turned to look, he realized how incredibly fortunate he had been. Zakli, who had vanished, was now standing exactly where he had been moments before, one arm rigidly extended like a piece of timber, his sharp nails resembling steel blades.
Had that hand connected, Bichier had no doubt his throat would have been severed!
Good heavens, was that even a human hand? How could they be even more monstrous than the last?
Yaster’s arm had been shocking enough, but seeing Zakli’s hands sent a chilling numbness straight up Bichier’s scalp!
His hands, darkly tinged with blue, were covered in bulging veins, and the sharp nails were nearly two inches long—by any measure, these were not the hands of a human being!
When Bichier shifted his gaze to Zakli’s face, he nearly cried out. That face was more terrifying than his hands, especially the eyes, which pulsed with an eerie green light, causing an involuntary shiver of dread.
Just as Bichier was about to curse what manner of monster this was, a searing, drilling pain erupted on his shoulder, accompanied by a wave of foul, putrid stench!
Bichier twisted his head, his face instantly turning paper-white, his body trembling slightly!
His shoulder was foaming with white froth, visibly rotting at an alarming rate!
Damn it, that bastard dared to use poison on me!
Bichier nearly exploded with rage. He hadn't expected the opponent to be even more devious than himself—not only resorting to a sneak attack but also employing such a despicable tactic. It seemed he had finally met a true peer!
Not daring to delay, Bichier hurriedly cast a healing spell, attempting to slow the toxin’s spread. However, to his utter frustration and rising panic, the healing magic had absolutely no effect; it seemed to accelerate the rate of decay instead!
How could this be? What kind of poison is this bastard using?
Bichier was clearly experienced. Seeing that he couldn't control the spread of the poison, he grit his teeth, stomped his foot, and swung his sword, hacking off a large chunk of flesh from his shoulder!
It was a timely reaction; the piece of flesh had only just been severed when it dissolved into a pool of foul-smelling liquid—disgusting and utterly horrifying!
Looking at Bichier now, all traces of his former arrogance were gone, replaced by beads of sweat pouring down his face, unsure if it was from the pain or sheer terror!
Bichier genuinely couldn't fathom what had happened. He had clearly dodged the attack, so why had he been poisoned?
When he turned his gaze back to Zakli, his body jolted violently, his eyes filling with disbelief!
On the middle fingernail of Zakli’s hand, he spotted a trace of blood. It was clearly from scratching Bichier’s skin during the recent exchange—a detail easily missed if not scrutinized.
Did just that tiny scratch cause the poisoning?
Bichier’s eyes widened. This horrifying scenario was a first for him; perhaps encountering such a monster was a first. As he stood stunned by the poisoning, Zakli’s figure vanished before his eyes once more!
This time, Bichier was truly terrified. A cold sense of impending death enveloped him. He already began to regret his decision to engage.
Forcing himself not to lose focus, he dashed sideways while constantly scanning for Zakli’s presence!
An unseen enemy is terrifying; an invisible monster is fatal!
Bichier dared not pause, increasing his speed because he had no idea where the monster's claws might strike next. If one hit his face, his life would surely be over!
Just then, he finally located the monster—or rather, Zakli deliberately stopped moving!
Adhering to the guiding principle of "strike first or suffer the consequences," Bichier suddenly swung his sword at Zakli, once again combining magic and battle aura!
His plan was to use magic to disrupt the monster’s movements, followed by a fatal blow with his longsword—the same method he had used against Yaster moments ago!
But what happened next completely defied his expectations. Zakli ignored the magic Bichier had cast and charged straight ahead, appearing as if he were deliberately running into the spell!
"If you seek death, don't blame me," Bichier thought with a flash of smug satisfaction. He knew the power of the magic he had unleashed; even if it couldn't kill the monster instantly, it would certainly slow it down—exactly what he wanted!
With a muffled thud, the magic Bichier had cast slammed squarely into Zakli’s body, yet Zakli’s speed did not diminish in the slightest! What’s more, Bichier witnessed a horrific sight he would never forget: Zakli smiled!
Zakli smiling wouldn't ordinarily be a big deal—at most, it would just look unsightly. What truly chilled Bichier to the bone was seeing the two prominent fangs in Zakli’s mouth!
Zakli was now extremely close, and both combatants were locked in forward momentum; there was no time to evade. Fight! I refuse to believe you don't fear death!
Thinking this, Bichier aimed his longsword directly at Zakli’s throat, convinced that if there was even a millisecond of hesitation from the monster, it would be his chance for a fatal strike!
However, he miscalculated again! Seeing the incoming sword tip, Zakli lunged forward with even greater speed, like a starving wolf spotting prey!
This outcome was far beyond Bichier’s imagination. In a split second of distraction, his longsword plunged deep into Zakli’s throat!
In that instant, time seemed to halt; the air around them felt frozen!
Bichier stared blankly at Zakli, whose throat was impaled by his sword, almost unable to believe it was real!
How could this be?
Had he actually won just like that?
Had he killed this monster so easily?
The victory felt too sudden, too bizarre. How could the creature that was so formidable moments ago suddenly die by his blade? Did it have no brain, not even dodging an incoming sword?
Unable to make sense of it all, Bichier stopped wasting brain cells. Regardless, he had won, and the crisis was finally over!
"This place isn't safe; the best plan is to leave quickly!" he thought. Bichier pulled at the longsword lodged in Zakli’s throat.
"Huh?" But with his effort, the sword didn't budge an inch!
At that moment, a strange, cackling laugh echoed from Zakli’s mouth.
The scene abruptly shifted back to the 'Chui Kingdom'!
Robin was now thrashing about like a soul deprived of consciousness, howling continuously as streams of black gas erupted ceaselessly from her body, resembling a colossal black, grasping hand perpetually devouring...
Robin!
At Robin’s feet lay the corpse of Pagie. It wasn't a whole body—half of it was gone, seemingly torn away by something! (That missing half was a sacrifice Douglas’s guards had made with their lives!)
Witnessing their mother meet such a gruesome end, any human would go mad! Robin was not a deity; she was human!
This period had placed Robin in a highly volatile phase where her emotions fluctuated easily. External stimuli could easily ignite the demonic thoughts stirring within her, pushing her toward the dangerous threshold of qi deviation. This was precisely what Zhong Shenxiu had feared most, yet it had happened after all!
Man proposes, God disposes!!!
Simultaneously, the storm clouds in the sky gathered thicker and thicker, as if the heavens themselves were about to collapse. The sound of rumbling thunder was incessant, but the most staggering sight was the lightning within the clouds, growing larger and brighter!
"Th-this..." The surrounding soldiers were utterly paralyzed by the scene. Their faces were pale, and their legs trembled uncontrollably!
"Quick... Retreat!" After a moment of stunned silence, the captain finally snapped back to reality.
In truth, some were already fleeing before he could give the order. The scene unfolding far exceeded the capacity of these mere mortals to endure. No one wanted to stay to witness what would happen next; their only thought was to escape this place as fast and as far as possible!
As the soldiers began scattering indiscriminately, Robin’s cries suddenly stopped. Her vacant eyes swept over every person, and with each glance, a person would be engulfed by the black gas—first turning into a skeleton, then dissolving into black powder!
And all those who turned to dust were the ones attempting to flee!
Robin’s eyes seemed capable of seeing only movement; she paid no attention to the soldiers standing stock-still, their faces ashen!
In the blink of an eye, more than half the surrounding soldiers had vanished!
Just then, a blinding shaft of light flashed across the sky—the first bolt of heavenly thunder had finally been fully formed!
In Robin’s current state, she couldn't withstand even this first bolt of lightning. In fact, everyone present was destined to evaporate under its initial strike!
"Sister!" A heart-wrenching wail suddenly pierced Robin’s ears—it was Tia’s cry!
Gazing at Robin, who was enveloped in black energy, and especially witnessing the look of agony on Robin’s face, Tia’s fragile heart was enduring unprecedented torment!
She had already lost the mother who cherished her most; she could not bear to lose this sister as well!
Almost simultaneously, the heavenly thunder descended with devastating force!